"When I was a young graduate student, the prejudices keeping women down were pretty obvious. Despite a record of strong academic performance, I was told by high-level faculty at two institutions that I would not be eligible for fellowships or for tenure simply because I was a woman. It was too risky, they said. Women didn't finish Ph.D programs or stay in academic careers, and even if they did, their careers were interrupted for marriage and children. Therefore, I was deemed a 'bad investment.' Today, such overt cases of discrimination are rare, not to mention illegal. But unfortunately, most of us -- men and women -- have implicit biases. Decades of cognitive-psychology research reveals that, although we may not be aware of these judgments, they play a large role in our evaluations of people and their work. The data show that people are less likely to hire a woman than a man with identical qualifications and are less likely to ascribe credit to a woman than to a man for identical accomplishments." University of Miami President and former Clinton Cabinet member Donna Shalala served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran in the 1960's.

I recently chaired a committee of the National Academies -- the research complex that includes the National Academy of Sciences -- that was charged with gathering and analyzing the best available information on the status of women in academic science and engineering. We found that institutional barriers and biases are depriving the nation of an important source of talent just when we need it most.

When I was a young graduate student, the prejudices keeping women down were pretty obvious. Despite a record of strong academic performance, I was told by high-level faculty at two institutions that I would not be eligible for fellowships or for tenure simply because I was a woman. It was too risky, they said. Women didn't finish Ph.D programs or stay in academic careers, and even if they did, their careers were interrupted for marriage and children. Therefore, I was deemed a "bad investment."

Today, such overt cases of discrimination are rare, not to mention illegal. But unfortunately, most of us -- men and women -- have implicit biases. Decades of cognitive-psychology research reveals that, although we may not be aware of these judgments, they play a large role in our evaluations of people and their work. The data show that people are less likely to hire a woman than a man with identical qualifications and are less likely to ascribe credit to a woman than to a man for identical accomplishments.

In academic science and engineering, women still are not breaking into the faculty ranks, even in fields that have a strong population of women to choose from. And although women are just as productive as men, women are paid less, promoted more slowly and hold fewer honors and leadership positions.

Then there is the old but persistent bias that women's brains are fundamentally different than men's, making women somehow less capable of excelling in science and math. Yes, there are some slight differences in the ways men's and women's brains operate. But the same researchers who stress these differences often fail to note the many more areas in which men and women share the same approaches. Study after study indicates no significant biological differences between men and women in performing science and mathematics that could account for the lower representation of women in these fields.

Still another justification for why there are so few women in leadership positions is the "pipeline" theory: There aren't enough qualified women in the science and engineering pipeline to fill top academic positions. But again, the data indicate it simply isn't so.

Let's look at just one example. For more than 30 years, women have made up more than 30 percent of the doctorates in social and behavioral sciences and more than 20 percent of the doctorates in life sciences. Yet at the top research institutions, only about 15 percent of the full professors in these fields are women.

--Sweeping reform must start at the top. Universities have to incorporate the goal of counteracting bias against women in hiring, promotion and treatment into campus strategic plans. It can't just be lip service, either. University executives should require academic departments to show evidence of having conducted fair, broad and aggressive talent searches before appointments are approved.

--Higher-education institutions -- with the scientific and professional societies -- should form a collaborative, self-monitoring body that would recommend standards for faculty recruitment, retention and promotion; collect data; and track compliance across universities. Just as the opening of athletics programs to girls and women required strong and consistent inter-institutional cooperation, so will eliminating gender bias.

--Hiring, tenure and promotion policies should take into account the flexibility that faculty members -- men and women -- may need as they pass through various life stages. Women are still the primary caretakers of their children and in the community, and their careers have been disproportionately damaged for taking time off for these activities. Men are feeling the squeeze in this area, too.

--Universities should focus on the quality and impact of faculty contributions rather than time served when evaluations are performed. What's more, university leaders should visibly and vigorously support campus programs that help faculty members who have children or other care-giving duties to maintain productive careers.

--Federal agencies should lay out clear guidelines, leverage their resources and rigorously enforce existing laws to increase the science and engineering talent developed in this country.

If the United States truly wants to maintain its lead in the global scientific and engineering marketplace, then policies must be geared to attracting and retaining the best and brightest -- regardless of whether they are male or female.

Harris Wofford to speak at "PC History" series Senator Harris Wofford will be the speaker at the 4th Annual "Peace Corps History" series on November 16 sponsored by the University of Maryland at Baltimore County (UMBC) and the Maryland Returned Volunteers. Previous speakers in the series have included Jack Vaughn (Second Director of the Peace Corps), Scott Stossel (Biographer of Sargent Shriver), and C. Payne Lucas (President Emeritus of Africare). Details on the time and location of the event are available here.

Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace CorpsSenator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

He served with honorOne year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

Peace Corps' Screening and Medical ClearanceThe purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

The Peace Corps is "fashionable" againThe LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

PCOL readership increases 100%Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

History of the Peace CorpsPCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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Story Source: Sacramento Bee

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Iran; University Administration; Engineering; Women's Issues

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